Scatter Search Algorithm for a Waste Collection Problem in an Argentine Case Study

Abstract

Increasing urbanization and rising consumption rates are putting pressure on urban systems to efficiently manage Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Waste collection, in particular, is one of the most challenging aspects of MSW management. Therefore, developing computer-aided tools to support decision-makers is crucial. In this paper, a Scatter Search algorithm is proposed to address the waste collection problem. The literature is relatively scarce in applying this algorithm, which has proven to be efficient in other routing problems, to real waste management problems. Results from real-world instances of an Argentine city demonstrate that the algorithm is competitive, obtaining, in the case of small instances, the same outcomes as those of an exact solver enhanced by valid inequalities, although requiring more computational time (as expected), and significantly improving the results of the latter for the case of larger instances, now requiring much less computational time. Thus, Scatter Search proves to be a competitive algorithm for addressing waste collection problems.